I am Atlantis
by Late For The Sky
Summary: Four times Atlantis proved its sentience And one time it never got the chance to Warning: Character death. Written for the "Five things" challenge over on Stargate Atlantis flashfiction on LJ.


Four Times Atlantis Was Discovered To Be Sentient (And One Time It Wasn't)

.:One:.

New systems have been powering up ever since the _Daedalus _brought the ZPM to Atlantis, so it's no surprise when yet another turns itself on. What _is_ a surprise is the hologram that suddenly appears in the Gate Room. Those working there don't realise anything's been activated or even is amiss until a distracted botanist, traversing the floor in front of the Gate, brushes against the seemingly solid woman dressed in Science Team blues and his shoulder passes through her upper torso. His surprised shout attracts the attention of all within hearing range, bringing Weir out of her office and breaking Sheppard away from a discussion about football with one of the _Daedalus' _Marines. The botanist stumbles away from the holo-woman, eventually bumping against the wall and pressing himself against it. The security teams instantly point their P-90s at the seeming intruder once the civilian is out of the way, safeties able to be turned off with a single motion. The woman looks up, smiles wryly, and then speaks, her voice amused and seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

'Hello. I am Atlantis.'

.:Two:.

Radek is working late into the night, his attention fixed solely on repairing the irrigation systems in the botany greenhouses. He's tired, and sorely in need of a shower and some sleep, preferably in that order. But he can't pause, because McKay wants this working _yesterday, thank you very much, and would it kill you to see these things before they happen, people? _

Sometimes, the man can be insufferable to work with, and Radek just wants to stuff cotton in his ears and block the Canadian out. And then he's reminded that they'd all be dead at least ten times over if McKay hadn't been assigned to be the Head of the Science Department and the _de facto _second-in-command amongst the inhabitants of Atlantis, right there along with Sheppard and Lorne.

He glances at his watch, and groans at the time. Closing his eyes, he rubs at his temples before sighing and getting back to work, trying to track down the malfunction that keeps making the watering systems go on the fritz and the lights go all wonky and flicker uncontrollably. He almost misses the small chat box that pops up on his screen, the title bar blinking in the upper right hand corner of his datapad's screen. It bears a simple message, one that takes him a moment to comprehend, such is the depth of his exhaustion. _Need help? _The cursor flashes steadily in the reply field, waiting for him to type his answer.

Who is this? He asks, curiosity finally getting the best of him.

_The one you are trying to aid._

Radek blinks in disbelief, his brow furrowing. He quickly looks to see where the message is originating from and who sent it, but all indications point to an internal source on the Atlantis mainframe.

_I can help you, Doctor Zelenka. You only need to let me._

He pauses, and then keys in his reply, going slowly to ensure he doesn't mistype.

Alright. What do I need to do?

.:Three:.

"Look, all I'm saying is that it is categorically impossible for a city to be sentient. It could have a good A.I., but for it to have real thoughts and emotions? Impossible."

"You're repeating yourself, Rodney. And besides, how do you explain the fact that after only one day in the city, all the environmental systems knew _exactly _how we prefer the temperatures and everything? You can't tell me that it's just an A.I."

"A four-year-old can figure out that it prefers being comfortably warm to freezing cold, Colonel. The computers here probably are programmed to keep a comfortable environment at all times. I doubt the Ancients thrived on cold, though the choice of having a base in the Antarctic does make me wonder sometimes."

"I can prove it to you. Watch. Atlantis, drop the temperature in McKay's lab by ten degrees Fahrenheit, please."

"You're being polite? To a _computer_? You're worse than Drammen, and he- Did it get colder in here?"

"See, what did I tell you?"

.:Four:.

Rodney is running for his life, and _oh dear God, I do _not _want to die, not today, and preferably not _ever_. _Of course, it would help if he could find the damn place where he was meant to meet up with Sheppard and the others, and _finally_, the Gate is in front of him and he can see his team waiting for him. Rodney can feel his heart trying to claw its way up his throat, trying to jump ship and leave him lying bleeding and wounded on the ground. The blue glimmer of the event horizon is a blesséd sight indeed, and he puts on an extra burst of speed, somehow drawing from reserves he doesn't even know he has and pushing the pain of his wounds far, far away.

"Hurry up, McKay!" Sheppard shouts, and Rodney would've replied with a snarky _What do you think I'm doing, knitting?, _but that would be a waste of precious oxygen and his muscles are screaming at him. He screams back at them in his head, pleading with them to cooperate with him for just a few more meters, and then they can turn to Jell-o once he's back safe and sound in Atlantis.

Which is what happens, and Rodney gratefully sinks to the floor in a clatter, almost on the verge of passing out. As he floats in the fuzzy grey area between manly passing out and staying awake, he fancies he can hear a whisper somewhere nearby as he presses his cheek against the cool metal of the Gate Room floor.

_Welcome home, Rodney. _It says warmly, making him recall one of his favorite aunts from when he was young. _You are safe. Relax. _

Rodney thinks it has good advice, and he silently agrees with the voice, even as Carson and the medical team get him onto a stretcher and cart him off to the infirmary. He's home, and that's all that matters.

.:Five:.

Everything went very wrong much too quickly. The water level was rising rapidly, and Rodney was attempting to bypass almost all of the safety protocols in order to buy himself just a little more time to get the bulkheads open. He kept running into frustrating roadblocks, and there was one in particular that ran through almost every system that he kept having to deactivate before he could move on. It wasn't enough; the water still continued its inexorable rise, and it was only a matter of time before the entire city was flooded. The only thing Rodney could do was try and get Sheppard, Weir, and Zelenka enough time to get out safely.

He worked feverishly, fingers flying over the datapad's screen, but it didn't matter. The water was rising too quickly, and he was overtaken by it. Deep in the bowels of the city, in a tightly sealed room, a system that could've saved them all slowly powered down, a melancholy melody echoing briefly before dying away, never to be heard again.


End file.
